Rig Veda 5.3.6: Mandala 5, Sukta 3, Mantra 6
Sukta 5.3
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
वयमग्ने वनुयाम त्वोता वसूयवो हविषा बुध्यमानाः । वयं समर्ये विदथेष्वह्नां वयं राया सहसस्पुत्र मर्तान् ॥
váyam agne vanuyāma tvó(t)ā vasūyávo havíṣā búdhyamānāḥ | vayáṃ samaryé vidátheṣv áhnāṃ vayáṃ rāyā sahasaspútra mártān ||
Mögen wir, o Agni, unter deinem Schutz gewinnen — nach Reichtum verlangend, durch das Opfer (havis) erwachend. Mögen wir im gemeinsamen Kampf, in den Versammlungen der Tage, durch die Fülle des rayi die sterblichen Kräfte bezwingen, o Sohn des Sahas (der Macht).
Word by Word
- वयम्
- wePronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं (सर्वलिङ्ग), प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद्
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि
- वनुयाम
- may we win/obtainVerbलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot वन् (वनु) / वनुय्
- त्व
- youPronounसर्वलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role कर्मRoot युष्मद्
- ओता
- helping, as helperParticiple (past passive)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अग्ने इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot अव् (√अव् ‘to help, protect’) → ओत (PPP)
- वसूयवः
- desiring wealthNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot वसु + ईय (इच्छार्थक) → वसूयु
- हविषा
- with oblationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot हविस्
- बुध्यमानाः
- being awake/attentiveParticiple (present middle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (कर्तरि), आत्मनेपद-भावRole कर्तृRoot बुध्
- वयम्
- wePronounसर्वलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद्
- समर्ये
- in battle/contestNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot समर्य
- विदथेषु
- in assemblies/ritual gatheringsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot विदथ
- अह्नाम्
- of daysNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग (वैदिक), षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अहन्
- वयम्
- wePronounसर्वलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद्
- राया
- by/with wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot राय् (स्त्री) / रयि
- सहसः
- of mightNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot सहस्
- पुत्र
- O sonNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot पुत्र
- मर्तान्
- mortalsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot मर्त
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (वैदिक-सन्धि-निरास): वयम् | अग्ने | वनुयाम | त्व | ओता | वसूयवः | हविषा | बुध्यमानाः || वयम् | समर्ये | विदथेषु | अह्नाम् || वयम् | राया | सहसः | पुत्र | मर्तान् || 1) त्वोता = त्व + ओता (स्वर-सन्धि: अ/आ-पूर्वे ‘ओ’)
- 2) सहसस्पुत्र = सहसः + पुत्र (विसर्ग-लोपः, तत्पुरुष-समासः; सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः: ‘सहसः पुत्र’ = ‘O son of might’)
- 3) विदथेṣ्वह्नाम् = विदथेषु + अह्नाम् (उ + अ → व्-अगमः: -षु + अ- → -ष्व-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May we, protected by you Agni, win—seeking wealth, awakening with the offering. May we in the common battle, in the assemblies of days, by plenitude win the mortals, O son of might.
Inner meaning
The seekers pray to the inner Fire for protection and victory in the evolutionary struggle. ‘Wealth’ (vasu, rāya) is primarily richness of being—clarity, force, joy, right capacities. ‘Awakening with the offering’ means consciousness becomes vigilant when it consecrates its energies (havis) to Agni. In the daily gatherings of life (vidatheṣu ahnām), amid collective and inner conflicts (samarye), may the sādhaka by rayi (plenitude, luminous abundance) win the mortal forces—bring body-life-mind movements under the law of the soul. Agni is ‘son of might’ (sahasas putra): the flame born of divine force, capable of overcoming resistance.
Universal truth
Spiritual life is a continual battle and assembly of daily moments; protection and victory come by awakened consecration and a growing plenitude that integrates and masters the mortal nature.
Themes
aspiration for rayi (plenitude), divine protection, victory in inner conflict
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya tradition)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.2 (Agni), RV 5.4 (Agni), RV 5.11 (Agni)
Family tradition
Ātreya hymns commonly combine aspiration for protection and victory with the motif of winning the ‘rays/wealth’—inner riches rather than mere material gain.
Significance
Atri’s vision is pragmatic: the daily battle is won by awakened offering; Agni is invoked as protector and giver of plenitude that reorganizes mortal nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- tvotā (protector), sahasas putra (son of might), vasu-dā (giver of riches, implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (as battle/illumination ally, implied by samarya), Maruts (as forces in struggle, implicit)
Cosmic role
Guardian and leader in the struggle; bestower of rayi/vasu; awakener of consciousness through sacrifice.
Inner power
Protective will and tapas that keeps aspiration awake and progressively masters the mortal instruments.
In ritual
Where it is used
Concluding or petitionary verse in Agni hymn sequences; used to ask for protection and gains from the rite.
व॒यम॑ग्ने वनुयाम॒ त्वोता॑ वसू॒यवो॑ ह॒विषा॒ बुध्य॑मानाः । व॒यं स॑म॒र्ये वि॒दथे॒ष्वह्नां॑ व॒यं रा॒या स॑हसस्पुत्र॒ मर्ता॑न् ॥
व॒यम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । व॒नु॒या॒म॒ । त्वाऽऊ॑ताः । व॒सु॒ऽयवः॑ । ह॒विषा॑ । बुध्य॑मानाः । व॒यम् । स॒ऽम॒र्ये । वि॒दथे॑षु । अह्ना॑म् । व॒यम् । रा॒या । स॒ह॒सः॒ । पु॒त्र॒ । मर्ता॑न् ॥
vayam | agne | vanuyāma | tvāūtāḥ | vasu-yavaḥ | haviṣā | budhyamānāḥ | vayam | sa-marye | vidatheṣu | ahnām | vayam | rāyā | sahasaḥ | putra | martān
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4 × ~11 syllables
March-like and collective (‘vayam… vayam…’); suited for aspiration and victory prayer.
Energizes and unifies group intention; builds endurance for daily practice and struggle.
- त्वोताः (tvotāḥ)
- Literal: protected by you. Symbolic: held by the inner divine will; guided and guarded
- वसूयवः (vasūyavaḥ)
- Literal: desiring riches. Symbolic: seeking fullness of being and right capacities
- हविषा (haviṣā)
- Literal: with the oblation. Symbolic: with offered energies—attention, breath, works
- बुध्यमानाः (budhyamānāḥ)
- Literal: awakening. Symbolic: becoming conscious, vigilant, inwardly awake
- समर्ये (samarye)
- Literal: in the battle/contest. Symbolic: inner struggle against inertia, desire, obscurity
- विदथेषु अह्नाम् (vidatheṣu ahnām)
- Literal: in the assemblies of days. Symbolic: daily life-situations where forces meet and choose direction
- राया (rāyā)
- Literal: by wealth/plenty. Symbolic: by plenitude (rayi): luminous abundance of consciousness
- सहसः पुत्र (sahasas putra)
- Literal: son of might. Symbolic: Agni as offspring of divine force (tapas), conquering power
- मर्तान् (martān)
- Literal: mortals. Symbolic: mortal movements to be transformed and possessed
Prayer for aid and victory accompanying offerings; adaptable in Soma-day ‘vidatha’ sessions and general Agni rites to secure rayi and protection in contest (samarya).
After kindling/offerings, when requesting protection and ‘rayi’ as fruit (phala) of yajña.
Offerings with prayer for protection, victory, and wealth; communal recitation possible.
A morning ‘battle-verse’: chant before the day’s work to awaken vigilance (budhyamānāḥ) and consecrate actions as haviṣ.
(budhyamāna-) from √budh ‘wake, perceive’: key for the psychological reading—yajña as awakening. (vasu) ‘good, wealth’ from √vas ‘to dwell, abide’ → what is stable and inhabitable in consciousness. (rayi) ‘wealth, abundance’ (Vedic semantic range: prosperity, plenitude, luminous possession). (sahas) ‘might’ possibly related to √sah ‘to prevail, be strong’; Agni as sahasaspútra indicates the fire as born of force/ardor.
awakening (bodha) through offering, Rita through ordered day-cycles (ahnām), inner battle (samarya) between light and obstruction
Winning ‘mortals’ is not domination but right ordering—forces placed in ṛta under the soul’s governance.
Awakening (budh) aligns perception to satya; protection maintains truth-orientation through the day’s assemblies.
Daily manifestation: each ‘day-assembly’ is a micro-creation where forces are arranged toward higher plenitude.
Integral karma-sādhana: consecration in daily life as field of transformation.
morning (awakening with offering)
Day = successive states of consciousness; battle = friction of evolution; wealth = increase of light-force and joy; protection = psychic guarding.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘winning’ (√van) of rayi and of the mortal powers through Agni’s protection during the recurring ‘days’ and assemblies: the mythic pattern is the repeated conquest of right possession in the arena of struggle (samarya) by awakened offering.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √budh (budhyamāna-) has clear Indo-European cognates (e.g., English ‘bid’ is not cognate, but ‘Buddha’ derives from the same root; PIE *bheudh- ‘to be aware, awaken’). The optative vanuyāma displays inherited desiderative/attainment semantics of √van, while vidatha (assembly) preserves archaic socio-ritual vocabulary typical of early Indo-Iranian poetic diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi speaks as a collective ‘we’, placing human effort (offering, awakening) in synergy with divine aid (tvāūtāḥ). Agni is addressed as ‘son of Might’, implying that the seeker relies on a power greater than personal capacity, yet activated by conscious oblation.
Awakened offering through the day: turn actions into haviṣ and let Agni protect attention from dispersion.
manipura
Bhastrikā light 3 rounds (10–15 breaths) then calm nasal breathing; feel ‘son of might’ as steady heat without agitation.
Energized, vigilant, action-consecrating.
Chant once on waking. Then set a ‘day-assembly’ intention: at three fixed times, pause 30 seconds, recall Agni, offer the current action, and re-awaken (budhyamāna) before continuing.
Clear udatta on repeated vayám; maintain consistent pitch steps to support the collective cadence.
Each ‘vayam’ begins a new surge—slight lift; keep ‘tvotā’ and ‘rāyā’ emphasized as supports (protection and plenitude).
tvotāḥ: consonant cluster ‘tv’ clean; long ‘āḥ’., budhyamānāḥ: aspirate ‘dhya’; long ‘ā’ in -mānāḥ., sahasasputra: keep the internal ‘s’ clear; do not insert extra vowel between words.
Bright, steady, rallying yet controlled; avoid shouting—let energy come from rhythm and clarity.
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